Werner suess



(No Model.)

W. SUESS.

GRAMOPHONE.

Patented May 6 1890.

\N VENTUFI UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WERNER SUESS, OF WASHINGTON, DIS TRIOT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR 'iO EMILE BER-LINER, OF SAME PLACE.

GRAMOPHON'E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters IPatent No. 427,279,68-6. Kay 6, 18 90.

- A recia ed August 631889. Serial no. aieaee. on model.)-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WERNER Sunss, a. citizen of the United States,- and a resident of 'Washmgtom in the District of Columbia,- hnve invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grainophones, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to improvements in the reproducing-apparatus adapted for use in the method of recording and reproducing sounds set forth in Letters Patents No. 372,786, of November 8, 1887, and No. 382,790, of Kay 15, 1888, both granted to hmle Berliner. The whole apparatus used for the practice of the said method has been called the gramophone, and in this class of a ed sounds is efiectedby giving to a repro-- dncing-stylus' vibratory movement by and in accordance with the sinuosities of the record-groove, and, these vibratory movements being transmitted to a diaphragm, vibrations of the -latt'er give rise 'to sounds which are copies of the sounds originally uttered against .cially of-directing the same to the the recording apparatus.

With the view of intensifying the sound emitted by the reproducer, and more espelistener or listeners, I use a funnel-shaped tube, on the contracted end of which the reproducing stylus and diaphragm are mounted, while the open flaring end of the tube is directed toward the listener or listeners. This flaring sound-conveyer, thus becoming an integral part of the reproducer, must have all the mass movements of the stylus and diaphragm, and, being of considerable weightit must be so supported, and balanced that the recording-stylus will bear with light but sufficient pressure upon the record-tablet. The best results are obtained if the reproducingstylus is made to travel in a straight radial line across the face of the record-tablet, snb stantially in the manner in which the recording-stylus has traveled in producing the rec 0rd. The main features of my present invention therefore have reference to the means for supporting and counterbalancing the sound-conveying tube with its attached dia phragm and reproducing-stylus and for mak ing the path of the stylus across the face of the record-disk as nearly as practicable'a straight radial line. The stylus engaging with its point the record-groove iscontrolled by the walls of the latter, and, as will be hereinafter more fully shown, I rely upon this control of the stylus by the wells of the record-groove for the movement of the stylus across the face of the disk, there being no positive feeding mechanism for thus moving the stylus. All this will -more fully appear from the following detailed description, in which reference is made to the accompanyi'ng drawings, which form apart of this specification, and in which I have shown,,in'

Figure 1, a perspective view ofoue form of reproducer, shown in the supportingframe =7 5- with a sound-conveying tube, with thediaphragm" and stylus in operative relation to the record-disk. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the pivotal bearing of the frame with parts removed and broken away. Fig. 3 is a-plan So view of another form of supporting-frame for the reproducer, by which the stylus is caused to travel in a straight line across the recordtablet. Fig. 4 is an end view of the same with the counter-weight removed. Like numerals of reference indicate like parts all throughout the drawings.

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown a base-plate 1, which may be secured by screws or otherwise to any suitable support-such, for instance, as a table. Erected on this baseplate is astandard 2, on one edge of which arelaterally-projecting eyes 3-,for1ning guides in which tiirns a vertical shaft or pivot 4. This shaft-is stepped at the lower end in a 5 bearing 5 in the base-plate, and at the upper end has secured to or formed on it a head 6, which, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, consists of a fiat'plate, to the center of which th shaft 4 is attached. ']his head 6 serves a horizontal shaft 31 .whiohlattcr1s proyided as a support for a frame 7, consisting of an end piece 8, two parallel side pieces 9, secured at one end to the end piece'by screws, as shown, or otherwise, and a rod 10, joining the other ends of the side pieces 9. the. side pieces J are pointed screws 11, projecting' through nuts therein and entering oppositely-arranged seats (not shown) in the ends of the-head U, and forming a pivotal' bearing for tnetrame '7, around which it may turn in a vertical plane at right angles to the axis of the shaft 4. It willnow be understood that the frame '7 may be moved in any direction, the shaft 4 and pivot-screws 11 constituting annii ersal joint for the same. The rod carries one end of an arm 12, secured rigidly thereon by a jinn-nut 13, which clamps.

- the-said arm firmly against a flange 1; on the rod, which latter is screw-threaded, as shown, for the reception of the nut- 13. The arm 12 is stiffened by longitudinal side ribs 15 and terminates atthe free end'iu a head 16, on one side of which is secured a diaphragmholder 17, carrying a diaphragm .18, and on the other-side ofthe head there is-secnred a flaring socket l9, communicating at its reshown) at stylus rests normally in the record-groove produced on the face of a disktablet 21, which is mounted for rotation upon a disk carried by a vertical shaft 22, similar to the shaft 4, before-described. As shown in Fig.

'1, the shaft 22 has at its upper end a thumbnut 23, b y means of which the tablet is clamped thereon, and the; said shaft is passed through eyes 24 (one only being shown) on a standard 25and stepped in ahearing26 ina base-platc 27, on which the'standard is ci'ected. The lower end of the standard isextendcd laterally on the ,plate 27, as shownat 28, and terminates in an upturned end 29, carrying at its upper end and below the level of the tablet a bearing 30.for

with a crank 32 at the outer end and a friction-wheel 33 at the inner end, which wheel I engages the under side of the tablet-support ing disk, which is not visible in the drawings. It will now be understood that when the shaft 31 is rotated by means of the crank 32 the f ricLion-wheel 33, engaging the tablet-support, will cause the latter to "rotate and carry successive portions of the record under the stylus.

to reproduce the sounds in a manner described in the aforesaidlLettel-s Patent.

The mechanism for supporting and rotat- 1 ing' the tablet may be of any suitable construction and entirely different from that shown, such construction being by no-mcans .an essential feature of my invention;

Mounted in It will be rcadilyunderstood that the sound-conveyor supported in the manner-described, together with the diaphragm and stylus carried in the mounting attached to the arm-12, may be moved laterally around the axis of the pivot-shaft 4 and vertically around the axis of the frame 7. By reason of these two movements the stylus maybe made to approach toward or recede from the axis of the rotating tablet, and in this manner traverse every portion of the surface of the said tablet, or it maybe swung aside and entirely removedthcrct'rom.

The operation of an apparatus so con-- structed is as follows: Thctablet 21, containing a souud-record in the form of a convolute, sinuous, or wavy groove produced in the manner set forth in my aforesaid Letters Patents, is mounted on the supporting-disk carried by the shaft or spindle 22; The weight 35 isadjustcd to ncarly'counterbalancc the arm 12 and parts carried thereby,.so that the stylus rests lightly, but with sufficient pressure, on the tablet-with its point in the recordsgroove. The tablet is now. rotated and .thc sinuous groove thereon vibrates the stylus, which in turn vibrates the diaphragm inaccordance therewith, and thus :produces sound-waves, which latter are directed toward the listener by the sound'conveyer 38. As the rotation of the tablet is continued the convolutions of 'therecord-groove will. cause thestylus to be slowly drawn across the tablet, turning'thc entire support of the reproducing apparatus along a slightly curvcd path over the said tablets \Vhen placing a tablet in position, or

on'removing it therefrom, it is necessary to move the reproducer out of operative rclatioi'i thereto, and for this purpose the supportingf rame is swnngon the horizontal and vertical pivots to some position away from the tablet,

Referring now more particularlyto Figs. 8 g

aud t, there isshown a standard or post 39,

which is fixed to a table or other supportand terminates .at the upper end in a yoke 40. hav- -ingtwo upturned parallel ends 41, each car rying an inwardly-projecting pointed screw- 2, extending through a suitable nut formed therein. The pointed ends of these screws I enter suitable seats onoppocito sidcsof'l fore described, and in alike manner serving plate 43 and constitute a horizontal pivotal bearing -on which the said plate may. be

cked. The plate .43 has an arm 44 formed other arm 33', similar. to that shown in Figs. 1 and-,2, ex-tendingin a direction; opposite .to the arm 44, being on the other side of the axis of the plate. The arm 33', carries a sliding weight- 35, similar in construction to that be as a counter-weight. Above -thecenterofthe plate 43 there is a. semicircular bracket consisting of-"two curved branching arms 45, rising from "a block 46. Through this blockl there is a perforation for a pivot-bolt 47, which extends downwardly through the plate 43 and there receives a nut- 48, by means of which the bolt is secured to the saidplate, and the head of the bolt engages-the upper face of the said block 46. This bolt 47 also passes through a washer 49', resting directly on the upper surface of the plate 4'3, and through eyes formed in the ends of links 50, the said ends beinginterposed between the lower end ofthe block 46 and the washer 49. Thus it will be seen that the bolt forms a vertical pivot around which the bracket 45 46 and thelinks 50 may move, and also secures them to the said plate; The outer ends of the links 50 are pivoted to opposing'corners of an arttculated frame 51,- composed of "links 52, of

equal length, connected together at the ends,

bypivot-pins .53, 54, 5.5,and 56, respectively, the pins 54 and .alsoconnecting the links 50 to the frame at the points before mentioned. The pin 56 also pivotally connects one'end of a link 57 to the corresponding corner of the frame 51, the other end of the said link being pivoted to the outer end of the arm 44. i r

The frame 51, together with the links 50 and 57, constitutes a well-known mechanical movement by which'a curvilinear movement is converted into a rectilinear movement, provided the various links have the proper rela-' tive lengths, which is supposed to be thecase in this instance, and therefore no detailed descriptign of the operation thereof is deemed D Q 'Y- In the apparatus shown in Figs. 3, and 4 the arm 12-is replaced bythe link' movement or system,a'nd int-his case the stylusand diaphragm will be mounted on the outer or free end of the said :link system-:namely, at 53-. and the sound-conveyer-38 (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 4) will rest on frictionvrollers 57, mounted in bearings formed in cut-away or recessed portions 58 of the bi'acket arms 45. In the operation of i apparatus the counter-weight 35 is adjusted-in the manner before described and the entire reprodncermechanism is moved to a position in which the stylus restson the tablet at the beginning of the record to be produced. Such position is indicated in Fig. 3. by the upper series of dotted lines, from which it will be seen that the frame 51 isof greaterlength than breadth. As. the record-tablet is rotated the volute record-groove acting on the stylus'slowly draws itacross the face of the tablet, as before ex-. plained, and turns the entire reproducing ap- ,paratus on its vertical axis or 'pivot 47; As

ciding with the vertical plane of the arm-44 of the plate 43 the link 57, moving through an arc of shorter radius than that of the links Q0, tends to force the frame 51 outward, which tendency is resisted by the said liuks-50, and the consequent action of these two opposing forces is to shorten the length and increase the breadth of the said frame 51 until it as- Fig. 3. -As' the movement of the stylusis continued beyond the central plane of the arm 44 the frame '51.will be again lengthened, as indicated by the lower series of dotted lines. It will be understood that the length of. the frame 51 decreases as the latter approaches a central position and increases as it recedes therefrom, and in'accordance with this change stantly-increasing distance from the pivot or this constant longitudinal movement of the outer end of the framefwhile the apparatus the said end in a straight line. When the reproducer-stylus is moved over the recordtablet in the manner stated, its path will coincide with the radius of such tablet, and the point of the said reproducer-stylus will be at all times in the same relation to the recordgrooves as was the recorder-stylus in producing such record. In this operation the soundconveyer must participate in the movement of thestylus toward and from the pivot 47,

of the supporting-bracket, and with a view of .vided.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Pat. ent- 1'.- In an apparatus for reproducing sounds from a record-tablet, the combination, with a reproducer mechanism consisting of a soundconveying tube and a diaphragm and stylus mounted at one end of the tube, of a freelyswinging supporting-frame for the said reproducer mechanism and a weight adjustable on the said frame to counterbalance the rescribed.

2. In an apparatus for reproducing sounds from a record-tablet, the combination, with a reproducer mechanism consisting of a'soundconveyer and a diaphragmand stylus mounted at one end thereof, of a supporting-frame for the said reproducer, loosely pivoted to swing freely bothlaterally andvertically, and

sumes the square form shown in full lines,

of shapeof the said frame its outer end' (and. the stylus thereon) will be carried to a conaxis of the apparatus, and the resultant of moves in an arc-aroundits pivot is to move.

and it will therefore slide upon the arms 45' producer mechanism, substantially as de-' the apparatus approaches the position coinreducing the friction the rollers 57 are prosounds from a record-tablet, the combination, with reproducer mechanism consisting of a soundcon veyer and a. diaphragm and stylus at one end of the said conveyer, of a counterweighted pivoted frame for supporting the reproducer mechanism and provided with a. system of laterally-movable pivoted links connected at one end to the said reproduce" mechanism and at the other to a portion of the supporting-frame fixed against lateral movement, substantially as described.

4. In an apparatus for reproducing sounds from a record-tablet, the co|nbinatio11,with a. re'producer mechanism consisting of esoundconv'eyer and a diaphragm and stylus, at one end of the said conveyor, of a system of links supporting the stylus end of the reproduoer and proportioned and arranged-ms described,

and consti'ucted, as described, for moving the stylus in a straight, pat-b across the recordsurface, and a pivoted brackei on which the sound-conveyor rests, provided with :mti-fricv tion rollers on which the said conveyor travels.

longitudinally to participate in the movcmcnt of the stylus end of the reprodncer, substan- -tially as described.

In testimony whereof I lmvc signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- WERNER SUESS.

Witnesses:

F. T. CHAPMAN, JJB. MACA'ULEY. 

